1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus and process for recovering and recycling seasoning that is used to flavor snack food products. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and process for recovering and recycling seasoning wherein the seasoning is recovered and purified so that it may be reapplied.
2. Description of Related Art
Snack food products, particularly seasoned snacks chips, are eaten and enjoyed by consumers. For example, potato chips, tortilla chips, corn chips, and the like often include one or more seasonings added to the snack chips after cooking but prior to packaging. To season, snack chips are typically seasoned by sprinkling one or more seasonings onto the surface of the chip products. The surfaces of the chips after seasoning provide a desirable and interesting appearance and immediate flavor to the palate upon consumption. Some common seasonings that consumers prefer, for example, include salt, barbecue flavor, sour cream and onion flavor, vinegar flavor, cheese, and others. Some of these seasonings are hygroscopic and readily absorb oil.
Seasoning is typically coated onto the surface of chips after cooking. Typically, this is advantageous in that after cooking, particularly with frying, the surface of the chips retain a surface coating of oil and are hot. When the powdered seasoning is deposited onto the exterior surface of the chips, a portion of the seasoning powder is retained.
Present techniques for distributing seasoning onto snack chips include tumbling the chips in a rotating cylindrical drum containing seasoning and sprinkling seasoning onto chips as they pass under a seasoning applicator. For example, with a rotating cylindrical drum, unseasoned snack chips enter the drum at an elevated end through a funnel. Seasoning is fed through a dispenser into an interior portion of the drum so as to coat the rotating chips. Internal baffles lift and tumble the chips to promote even coverage of seasoning as the chips are drawn toward the bottom of the drum via gravity. Thereafter, seasoned chips exit the drum and are packaged.
An alternative technique for applying seasoning to snack chips uses a conveyor. Snack chips after cooking are deposited onto a conveyor belt and are transported so as to pass beneath a seasoning applicator. As chips pass through a seasoning curtain, seasoning adheres to the surfaces of the chips that are exposed to the seasoning curtain. Seasoning that does not become affixed to chips is typically discarded because the seasoning, if reused, has adsorbed oil from coming in contact with the fried chips.
While devices such as a rotating drum are more efficient for seasoning, this is not practical for certain snack chip products. Particularly with the manufacture of uniformly shaped snack chips, randomizing seasoning techniques such as the rotating drum are impractical if packaging includes piling chips in a juxtaposed arrangement into a container. It is more efficient to leave chips in established rows and columns on a conveyor assembly. To rearrange the chips after tumbling in a drum would be expensive and inefficient.
These arrangements, and others, however, produce a significant amount of waste seasoning. Seasoning that does not adhere to surfaces of the chips cannot generally be reused. This is because the seasoning gets conglomerated with oil, moisture, and air from the processing of chips. This leads to changes in density of the seasoning, flowability, seasoning oxidation, and flavor reductions or alterations. Therefore, recycling of seasoning to date is difficult, expensive, and problematic. Also, exposure of the seasoning to the manufacturing process conditions increases the likelihood of microbiological growth.
Therefore, seasoning that does not adhere to snack chips is preferably collected and discarded. Some of the non-adhered seasoning, however, remains airborne in the form of dust, which has a tendency to drift throughout the manufacturing facility. This presents additional expenses in that this dust must be collected, these areas need to be cleaned more frequently, and additional ventilation and/or other safety devices must be utilized to reduce health risks.
Consequently, a need exists for a seasoning apparatus and process capable of applying seasoning onto snack products consistently and efficiently while keeping dust production to a minimum. This need is particularly apparent in seasoning applications where it is advantageous to have the chips remain on a conveyor in uniform rows and columns.